Rennsport

Rennsport is a game I really want to like. It's the upstart that has been hard in-development for a number of years with the aim of becoming the next big thing in sim-racing. The developer, Competition Company, has organised several alpha and beta tests and competitions, and has been relatively transparent throughout the process, with it built for fans by fans, and there is certainly no lack of ambition in that.

Using Unreal Engine 5 as a foundation, they have tried to create a modern racing simulator intended to unite PC and console players and blur the lines between platforms. But with the game in hand and a number of hours behind the wheel, I can't help but scratch my head in confusion. There is a feeling of emptiness here that is difficult to grasp or understand. The ambition is there, the technology is partly in place, but the whole thing is far too unfinished to justify a purchase at this stage. Allow me to explain.

The plan was clear. Rennsport was to become an ecosystem for esports, specifically sim-racing, full of tournaments and community racing, which sounds promising on paper. So why rush the game when it's clearly not ready and, not least, lacks content? A handful of cars and a few tracks are all you get, most of which are locked behind more expensive editions of the game or purchases in their store, where you can spend your money in exchange for "RENN$" (their currency) right at launch. In a world where Assetto Corsa Competizione, iRacing, and Automobilista 2 already exist, the range of content feels meagre, to say the least. And it's not just about quality, but also variety. Unfortunately, it quickly becomes clear that most of it is strangely thin once you start scratching off the surface.

It should be said, however, that the overall driving experience is very good, and even with a controller in your hand, it's clear that a lot of effort has been put into refining the physics. Details such as how the weight shifts in the vehicles, the unevenness of the asphalt, and vibrations from kerbs, everything feels damn good and there is definitely a genuine joy of driving here. Likewise, most of the cars are distinctive enough in their appearance to make each one feel like a unique little monster to tame. So kudos to Competition Company for actually doing a good job here. No, it's not revolutionary or class-leading, but it's reason enough to at least try burning rubber for a few laps. In short, Rennsport has a sharp and technical foundation, and that's not where the game's problems lie.

The problems start when you begin to look at how Rennsport actually appears on a purely visual level and how it behaves. As I mentioned earlier, Unreal Engine 5 is running under the hood, which in theory should mean dazzling graphics. But as we know, the engine has not exactly become known for being the most stable, nor is it the most optimal when it comes to racing. There are several obvious and rather annoying bugs. Everything from ghosting during replays, objects and textures that do not load correctly or quickly enough, not to mention how some of the tracks look significantly worse than others.

All this might have been forgivable if the game otherwise offered content and features that made you want to stick around, but unfortunately that is not the case. The single-player part is a complete disappointment. The AI drivers are among the worst I've seen in a racing game in a long time, and they frequently behave as if they've downed a bottle of Jack Daniels before getting behind the wheel. They frequently push you out of the way, brake in illogical places, and on the whole don't seem to really sense whether there are opponents around them. It's not possible to adjust the difficulty level, aggression, or any other parameters, and you can only choose how many AI cars you want to compete against. And driving offline? Forget it, the game requires an internet connection...

Technically speaking, multiplayer works surprisingly well. Matchmaking, lobbies, and transitions from qualifying to racing are smooth, and crossplay between PC and console seems to work flawlessly. This is clearly the most stable aspect of the experience. But once you're in the races, you notice that there's still a lot missing to create any kind of engaging experience. It's simply impossible to shake off the feeling of how unfinished and beta-like Rennsport still is. The big question you ask yourself after a few days is therefore: who is Rennsport actually intended for? Offline players get a half-finished product with hopeless AI and minimal depth, hardcore sim-nerds looking for realism will be bothered by the lack of VR support, and there's a complete absence of different weather conditions and limited track layouts. Even though multiplayer works, there is no real or clear reason why you would currently choose Rennsport over any of the other already established platforms. There is no identity here beyond crossplay.

And therein lies the frustration. There is an embryo of something here that could be good and the driving feel has potential. The physics are heading in the right direction, and the presentation (when it works) is perfectly fine, even if it's hardly jaw-dropping. But that's not enough. It feels like Rennsport was launched several months too early, in the hope of beating the competition and riding the wave of sim-racing hype that is currently prevailing. The result is a game that works technically but lacks both content and character. It's also difficult to justify the price. The standard edition costs £50 and the deluxe edition even more. That's a lot of money for a game that feels like an Early Access project.

There is also something ironic about how Rennsport tries to profile itself as the modern, accessible platform for everyone, while lacking so many of the features that make a modern racing game worth investing time and money in. It's like building a shiny showroom but forgetting to put the cars in it. And it hurts to say that, because I like the ambition. There is a future where Rennsport, with the right patches and more content, could become a real contender in the genre. But at the moment, it feels more like a demo you're forced to pay for. The physics save the game from being a total disaster, but everything else feels half-baked, incomplete, and ill-conceived. It promises a lot but delivers far too little, and that's simply not good enough.